| Show I History o of the Overland d Mail The middle ot or the past century found communication between the eastern an and western sections of our country extremely limited and dwellers duellers on plains became deeply Interested in interested in- in In the project to establish i n ll overland o mail mall As early as the I I summer ummer of or 1850 mall mail was carried once nce a month in coaches from Independence Independence Independence Inde Inde- Mo Io to Santa Fe N. N M. M The couches conches were attractively painted paint paint- ed d and were made watertight that they might be he used as boats in crossing crossing cross cross- ing ang streams They carried nine passengers pas pas- engers inside and two on the box with the driver They were ere drawn i l 11 liy y six sis mules each and were guarded guard guard- ed d by hy eight men fully armed Each had ad at his side fastened Castenell on the tue n coach a Colts Colt's revolving Hue rlue in a holster a Colts Colt's long revolver and andin andr r in iu his best a small Colts Colt's revolver and d a a. hunting knife and could In Incase int inease t ease case ase of an attack discharge 13 C shots without stopping to reload 1 If there was no mishap the coaches were ere able to make male the distance of miles In two weeks by hy con contin- contin tInIOUS tIn tIn- IOUS travel mother Another line of oC coaches poor poorly and without stations carried the mail from Crom St. St Joseph Mo to Salt r f Lake City Utah But Dut it was not l until r. 1857 1357 that the postmaster gen kcal Kral extended the service across the mountains This route covered a distance of miles i By Dy an act passed In ht the closing hours of the administration of President President President Pierce the postmaster-general postmaster dent was as authorized to advertise for bids lot for the carriage of the mail mall at high speed from the Mississippi to San Francisco The contract was awarded award award- awarded ed d to the Overland Mail company and the termini on the Mississippi were St St. Louis and Memphis From St S1 Louis the mail was to be carried over the rails of ot the Pacific railroad to Tipton whence a stagecoach stage stagecoach stagecoach coach took it to Fort Smith to which a a. coach brought the mail mall from Memphis The routes thence led on on onto onto to Preston in Texas to El EI Paso to Tucson then in New Mexico to Fort Yuma to Los Angeles and so to San Francisco This extreme southern southern south south- ern route was chosen the postman ter general explained because the climate was temperate the road not likely to be blocked b by snow and be be- rr r s rr II III I cause it was well suited to migra I tion On the of ot September 1858 the first mail mall coach left San Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco for Memphis The Tho coaches were drawn by ly four horses They were painted green or red and were built at Concord N. N H. H It was possible pos pos- sible sibio to carry carry nino passengers on the inside of or the coach and the through h fare Care was At the backof back backof of oC the tho coach was leas the leather boot for tor forthe forthe the mail mall and the carpet bags of ot the passengers From St. St Louis the distance 2795 miles was cov coy red by the first eastbound eastbound eastbound east east- bound stage in twenty four days twenty hours and thirty five minutes All along the route the arrival of or orthe the coach was an occasion of public rejoicing At Fort Smith there thero was wasa a parade of troops a salute of cannon cannon can can- non nOIl and ancI a supper at which appeared appear appear- ed a cake cako in the exact tn type e of or amail a amail mail mall pouch When the first e eastbound eastbound east east- st- st bound mail mall arrived at St. St Louis Mr Ir Butterfield th the president of the company com com- pang pany was met at the railway station station station sta sta- sta- sta tion b by a great crowd of citizens ens with a band and greeted with an ad ad- dress The next day October 10 the first west bound coach rolled Into San Francisco and on the its arrival arrival arrival ar ar- ar- ar rival was duly celebrated with guns a procession resolutions and a vote of thanks to the Postmaster I congratulate you ou upon the result result result re re- sult President Buchanan telegraphed telegraphed telegraphed tele tele- graphed to Dutt Butterfield whoa when he heard of or the arrival of or the mall mail at St. St Louis Through California and Arkansas the stag stages s rolled swiftly but on the plains the line was as yet poorly equipped stations in some places were sixty-five sixty miles apart and when this was remedied the run was made in twenty days This Great Southern Mail route was weekly semi but the postmaster general had established a weekly mall mail route loute from tS Joseph Mo 1 to Placerville Cal by wa way of Salt Lake Cit City over which stages ran In twenty n nine ne da days s When the first through gh stage reached Placerville on the of or July there was an illumination and great public rejoicing The first mail mall from Placerville arrived at St. St Joseph on ou September 4 San San Francisco Fran Francisco cisco Chronicle |
